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Old 5th March 2019, 12:58 AM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Default Reddish bits from Nova water jackets

Tonight I drained the water jackets just to see what "growths" there were inside. Relatively little in either jacket in fact but what bits there were, were all a kind of reddish colour. In the second jacket which is the one that heats the two fixer slots the "shelf" that goes across the inside of the jacket about 2/3rds of the way up and runs for about 7/8th of the slot is a distinct reddish colour whereas the shelf in the first slot which heats the developer and stop slot is white. Yet each jacket had reddish bits in it.

Anyone who has drained a Nova seem something similar?

It certainly suggests that John's idea a a tablespoon of bleach is required to inhibit growths

I am not sure whether I need to try and get rid of the reddish colour on the fixer shelf or not. I assume that a larger amount of bleach might do the trick which I'd then decant and fill with the preventative tablespoon of bleach mixed with water?

My thoughts are that I must have contaminated the water jacket over many months with drops of fixer from prints getting into the water hole but this doesn't account for the same red bits in the first jacket between the dev and stop slots unless there is something in the dev that produces a similar effect in water to the fixer from developer drips getting into the first hole but if that were the case then you'd expect it to affect the first shelf as well?

Thanks for any ideas on this.

Mike.
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Old 5th March 2019, 08:41 AM
John King John King is offline
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Default Growths in NOVA Deeptanks

In short, I have never had any sort of growth such as you describe in a NOVA. The stop bath can promote a growth, a bit like you get in a part used pot of jam- hairy and grey/white. This forms a scum on the top of the stop bath slot. This is only takes place if you use a citric acid based stop bath. I always use an acetic acid type. Because the surface area exposed is quite small, the smell is not very strong)

In the rare times that I drained and cleaned out a NOVA I used to refill all the slots and water jackets with a strong mix of diluted bleach for at least 24 hours. (About a 15% solution).

This does clean out all nasties that should not be there but also it removes a lot of the 'tar' from the insides of slot 1 and 2 (presuming that you have a Trimate or Quad) If you are not intending to use the processor for several days you can use something like Milton which has a much milder bleach action. Whatever you use the slots must be thoroughly rinsed out with running water. The way I do mine is in the bath, but put a towel on the bottom first so there is no scratching. I take off the shower head and use that to clean the slots. I have a long aluminium rod which is wrapped at the bottom with something like a J Cloth and used to loosen any stubborn bits and pieces on the lower sides and rinse out again.

Let it drain and refill the water jacket first, then the new chemistry.

Last edited by John King; 5th March 2019 at 08:47 AM.
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Old 5th March 2019, 12:48 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Thanks John. So a bit of a mystery as to why the fixer shelf inside the water jacket is a pale reddish/salmon pink colour. The slots for dev, stop and fix chemicals are clear. I'll fill the jackets with bleached water and then leave for a day or so. If it has no action on the salmon pink shelf then it might just be that it is a different colour although logically I can't think of any reason why Nova would make one shelf a different colour or I'll just have to live with it. I have had the Nova for about 15 years now and it may have been that colour for many of those years without any problem

Getting anything onto the shelf in the way of a brush to see if the "pink" will come off is going to be near impossible due to its position and small hole entrance. Anyway I am sure you were never meant to be able to do this. It's the bleach or nothing.

I'll report back with findings.

Any other users of a Nova Quad 4 slot 8 x10 out there who might be able to shed any light on this

Thanks

Mike
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Old 7th March 2019, 09:43 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Well here's the report-back. I used the bleach and it worked fine. The red on the shelf was clearly a "film" of some kind from a red chemical which the bleach lifted off and turned white-ish clear.

When I thought a little deeper I realised that I had for a short period used the Nova for RA4 printing and the blix was in the third slot. I used the fourth slot for water as a dip and dunk before transferring the print to the running water slot. As there was no cover on the water jacket holes some of the blix must have dripped into the water jacket and formed a film on the shelf.

Mystery and what to do about it solved!

It's a touch of bleach in each water jacket from now on

Mike
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